Fulbright scholarships don’t come easy. Typically applicants that receive scholarships begin working on their essays months in advance and that’s not even half the story. But this kind of intensive and long prep work didn’t stop Senior History Major, Ben Dipple from applying. And it’s paid off, Ben Dipple has been awarded a Fulbright English Teacher Assistant (ETA) scholarship to Turkey for the 2015-16 school year.
Dipple first started thinking of applying 2 years ago as a sophomore in part because of learning bits of different language from friends in other countries and chose to focus on Turkey after a semester abroad there.
“Ben is a truly extraordinary student. Everyone in the department who has had him in class is blown away by his sharp intellect and exceptional ability as a writer” – Erik Carlson
Dipple started working on his application in June 2015 and was continually revising up till the submission deadline in October. But having a good essay isn’t the only important part of an application.
“Getting a grant like this requires preparation and experience in the country. Ben’s interest in Turkey has been going on for a long time. Ben studied Turkish on his own to prepare for his semester abroad last year, and he has taken several opportunities to learn Turkish history, something we don’t offer [at Gustavus],” History Professor Erik Carlson said.
“After the Fulbright my plan is to attend graduate school and study Middle Eastern and Turkish history” – Ben Dipple
Not every Fulbright ETA program receives equal amounts of applications either, some being more competitive than others. Turkey is one of the most applied to in Europe and Eurasia with 319 applicants for the 2015-16 school year. Only Germany and Spain received more applicants with 381 and 409 respectively.
Dipple’s success isn’t limited to the Fulbright either, as he was one of two Lund-Davis Scholars this year, an award given to outstanding senior history majors.
“Ben is a truly extraordinary student. Everyone in the department who has had him in class is blown away by his sharp intellect and exceptional ability as a writer. Even as a first-year student, when I first had him in class, he was writing with a fluency and effectiveness that made him stand out,” Professor Carlson said.
Dipple doesn’t plan on ending his study and interests with Turkey after his time teaching English as a Fulbright ETA.
“After the Fulbright my plan is to attend graduate school and study Middle Eastern and Turkish history. After hopefully completing a Master’s Degree, I plan to continue my schooling in pursuit of a PhD or work in the Foreign Service in some capacity.” Dipple said.